By FAITH MOLDAN

Bigfork Eagle

The mood was somber Monday evening at the Bigfork High School football field.

BHS football coaches and players stood nearby as the Bigfork Fire and Bigfork Ambulance crews worked to resuscitate a BHS football player who collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during conditioning drills on the practice field. The boy's name or age was not released as of press time.

"It was at the late practice," Bigfork Schools Superintendent Russell Kinzer said. "He collapsed, CPR was performed, 911 was called and ALERT responded." The ALERT helicopter transported the young man to Kalispell Regional Medical center, where he was in stable condition and in a medically-induced coma as of Tuesday morning. ALERT was called out at 8:09 p.m. to the football field.

While emergency personnel performed CPR on the student, the football team gathered to pray near the sidelines.

Kinzer said school officials did not have a full picture of what happened. He said there was no known knowledge of any previous medical condition that would have caused the boy to collapse. Unfortunately, the student was practicing even though he had not submitted his physical to the team. Apparently, the coaching staff thought the student was another player with a similar last name who had the proper paperwork.

Two other students without physicals were not allowed to practice on Monday.

A group of parents, coaches and players visited the boy at KRMC Monday night to show their support for the young man and his family.

"I'm sure it's difficult for the other players," Kinzer said. "They're saddened and worried about him. They're forming a team. They're naturally concerned about their teammate."

The BHS football team will continue to practice throughout the week, with both early and late sessions. Kinzer said it was important that the football team continue their routine and keep an eye on their goal while remaining concerned about its teammate.

In 2006 there were 12 indirect fatalities associated with high school football across the United States. The indirect deaths were eight heart related, three heat stroke and one unknown, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research. Indirect fatalities are caused by systemic failure as a result of exertion while participating in football activity or by a complication which was secondary to a non-fatal injury.